Little Bird
by brightlightsbrighterdreams
Summary: Finishing a busy shift, Dr Zoe Hanna stumbles across a sixteen year old girl, collapsed and crying her heart out. Reluctant to go to the hospital and reluctant to tell Zoe more than a few words, what secrets lie behind those big eyes? Can Zoe be the one to find out? First Casualty fic!
1. Chapter 1

Dr Zoe Hanna was leaving the E.D at the end of her full day's shift. She was tired, and looking forward to curling up on the sofa with a glass of wine, a takeaway and her own company. It had been a long and hectic day; more casualties than usual and the added stress of having two new junior doctors under her care. She sighed in relief, safe in the knowledge that by the end of the month, their placement would be over and they would no longer be her responsibility. A blunder from one of the female juniors today had resulted a hysterical six year old and an angry mother after she had been unable to find a vein after almost half a dozen attempts. Zoe had had to intervene, and was snappy to the girl, even though she remembered those days well. Zoe had come a long way- she now held a senior position at the hospital as clinical lead. The hospital being the closest to the inner city 'rough areas' meant she had seen a lot in her time. She had grown up on a council estate, and underneath her pleasant bedside manner and startlingly beautiful looks, there was a steely glint. Zoe was tough.

She scanned the car park for her car and then realised that after she'd nipped out for lunch, the car park had been pretty packed, and for ease and time she'd parked at the bottom of one of the estates nearby. She quickly nipped down a dark side alley which she knew would be a shortcut to her car. A small noise caught her attention; she stood stock still, alert and listening. Someone was crying, muffled sobs punctuated by the juddering gasps most often heard from small children. She carried on, towards the sound, her the efficient click of her heels echoing through the alley. Her sharp eyes were scouring the ground as she moved, and they quickly settled on a body- a teenage girl, who was desperately dragging herself towards the wall.

Zoe slowly moved towards her, worrying about panicking the already distressed girl. 'Hello,' she called softly. 'I'm Dr Hanna. I work at the hospital just over there.' The girl's terrified eyes locked onto Zoe's, large and deer-like. Unblinking, Zoe moved nearer, silently berating the harsh clicking of her footsteps. 'It's okay. It's alright,' she murmured gently, as she got closer. Finally, she bent down to the girl's level, her eyes scanning her to silently assess the situation. She let out a soft whoosh of breath as she realized her clothes were not torn or dishevelled, praying that this meant sexual abuse was ruled out. She took in the girl's appearance- honey blonde hair framed her face, but it didn't look as healthy as it should, nor did her skin, which was carefully made up, but still appeared pallid. Her frame was tiny, bird-like. Her thighs were so small, Zoe almost winced. She looked thin, too thin and Zoe wondered if this was the cause of her collapse. 'What's your name?' she asked the girl, holding eye contact. 'C-Chlo,' she whispered back, choking out the words over her sobs. 'And how old are you?' The girl was desperately trying to compose herself. 'S-sixteen.' she managed. 'Alright, Chlo. Can you tell me what happened?' Zoe asked soothingly. 'I b-blacked out,' the girl said, her voice wobbling. 'Right,' Zoe replied. 'Where does it hurt?' 'Nowhere,' the girl said. 'I'm fine. I'm sorry. I'm alright now.' she said, trying to stand. Zoe's hand shot out to restrain her. 'Woah! Sorry Chlo but you're obviously not fine. You're going to have to come to the hospital with me. I need to check you over.' 'No, really, I'm alright,' the girl protested weakly, still sobbing. 'Sorry sweetheart. No arguments.' Pulling out her phone and dialling her good friend and paramedic, Jeff, she quickly arranged an ambulance, and then crouched next to Chlo, who had grown almost hysterical whilst she was on the phone. 'Chlo? Chlo, come on, it's going to be alright,' she said, taking hold of her hand. 'It's all going to be fine.'


	2. Ill

'Zoe!' Nurse Linda Andrews called as she saw the back of Zoe's sleek, dark bob disappearing into the staff room. 'Zoe!'

Zoe turned around at Linda's call, a question painted on her face.

'It's your patient. The teenage girl. She won't let me phone her parents and she's adamant she wants to be discharged!' Linda said, a hint of agitation in her voice.

Zoe sighed. 'Let me speak to her. We really need her parents in here. And there's absolutely no way she can be discharged yet.'

Linda nodded and Zoe turned on her heel towards the ward where Chlo had been sent. As Zoe entered, she saw that she was sitting up, although it looked to be an effort. Zoe crossed the room quickly and placed a gentle hand on the girl's arm. 'Chlo, you're ill. You can't go home yet. We're just waiting for the result of your bloods. You're very dehydrated, hence the need for the drip. And that's not to mention that ankle. You need to keep it elevated and rest it.'

Chlo rolled her eyes. 'I'm absolutely fine now. I just probably didn't drink enough through the day. I'm sorry, alright? Can I please just go?'

Zoe shook her head. She had not forgotten the look of terror in the girl's eyes in the alley, nor had she forgotten the fast heart rate, or the shock she had got when she'd seen the girl's tiny thighs. She had seen more than enough cases of teenagers with eating disorders. Heartbreakingly, it was increasingly common, and Zoe could see all the signs in the delicate girl sitting in front of her. 'Chlo,' she started. 'Is there anything you want to tell me? About why you might have fainted? You know... I can help you.'

Chlo shook her head. 'No. I've already said, I just didn't drink enough through the day. So when will I be able to run on this ankle?'

'Run?!' Zoe said, exasperated. 'It's going to take six to eight weeks for that to heal, and even then you have to start slowly.'

Chlo looked panicked. 'What?' she said, a flash of fear back in her eyes. 'But- I have to run! I have to!'

Zoe placed an arm on hers. 'Look, you're in a bad way. I don't know if this is because you're pushing your body too hard, or something else, but you really need to be careful. This is a warning sign that things aren't as they should be.' she said. 'I'll come back to check on you in a little while. Sit tight, okay?'

As Zoe turned away, she didn't notice the quick, frightened tears making tracks down Chlo's face as she looked at her phone in panic.

_'Babe where u at? Thought we were going running tonight? X' _

_'U know u can't afford to miss a session. Think of the calories you won't have burnt off. Converting into fat right now.'_

She let out a sob of despair as her phone vibrated, signalling yet another message.

'_For god's sake Chlo. U know I'm doing this for ur own good. Do u want 2 be fat?!'_

Chlo buried the phone within her bag, a swell of nausea rising in her stomach. She lay her head back to rest on the pillow, wondering fleetingly if Dr Hanna really could do what she'd said, and help her. But with every beat of her quickened heart, she grew more and more certain that she couldn't. Because nobody could. And nobody would ever be able to.


	3. A Bad Night

**Thank you for the lovely reviews on my first Casualty fic! Hope you enjoy this part XX**

Zoe was on her way home, but all thoughts of her nice evening had been cast aside. She couldn't stop thinking about the teenage girl in the hospital bed who'd nodded, but looked terrified when Zoe had said she was leaving until the morning. _It's her eyes, _Zoe thought to herself, as she manoeuvred her car into the little space on her drive. _They're like a disney character's. Cinderella in the headlamps. _Whatever it was, Zoe just couldn't get her out of her head. She was certain there was more to it than was meeting the eye, but she simply couldn't put her finger on it. _Oh Chlo, _she thought, picking uninterestedly at the food she'd bought on her way home. _Let me help you._

Chlo was exhausted from thinking. She'd had a shock when she'd tried to get up to go to the loo and found that she could barely even climb off the bed- the pretty blonde nurse who'd put her drip in had had to help her. She'd splashed water in her face, removing the traces of her smudged mascara, trying hard to stop the wobbly, weak feeling from taking over. Back in bed, she'd started thinking about the state she was in. She hated how she looked. Pale, drawn, unhealthy, and far too thin. Her jutting collar bone made her feel sick when she caught sight of it. She wanted to get out of this cycle of eating next to nothing and exercising hard. She had been happy with her body before all of this. She'd had curves, practically flawless skin and a glossy head of hair. _Look at me now, _she thought bitterly. _Look what he's done to me._

It reached midnight, and Zoe couldn't concentrate on the chick flick DVD she'd put on. Her mind was wandering to Chlo again and again. She knew that part of being a good doctor was to be able to leave cases behind at the end of the day; to not let them start to take over your brain. But Zoe also knew that to be a good doctor you had to genuinely care. There was something about Chlo, a vulnerability, that seemed to be asking for Zoe to help her- but then, when she tried to get her to open up, there was a fierce defensiveness. Zoe sighed, turned off the film and went to bed.

Chlo couldn't sleep. She had checked the time on her phone a few minutes before, and been disappointed to find that it was only twelve. The night seemed to stretch ahead of her like an endless road- tossing and turning in her uncomfortable bed, she prayed for the minutes to pass quicker. There had been more messages. These ones were even more crudely worded and aggressive. Feeling more alone than she had ever done, Chlo curled up as tightly as possible and cried.

At half past twelve, Zoe got stopped tossing and turning and got out of bed. She hurriedly dressed and raced out to her car. _I can't, _she thought to herself. _I can't just lie here and do nothing. Something's not right. _She drove to the hospital, gratefully finding a parking space near the entrance, and rushed in.

'Zoe?' called a curious voice behind her.

Zoe swivelled round. It was Dr Sam Nicholls.

'Oh. Hi Sam,' she said tiredly.

'Are you alright? Only, you're not supposed to be in until eight o'clock?' Sam asked, a confused expression on here face.

'Fine thanks. Just wanted to check on a patient of mine. Nothing urgent. I- I just had a feeling.' Zoe said, aware of how ridiculous she sounded.

Sam looked even more confused. 'Oh,' she started. 'Alright, well, er-'

Zoe gave a strained smile and carried on walking. When she reached Chlo's ward, she was relieved to find that Tess Bateman was the nurse in charge. Anyone else might have questioned her, or held her back. She knew Tess would trust her. She looked up as Zoe walked in.

'Everything okay Zoe?' she asked quietly.

Zoe smiled back. 'Yeah, fine, Tess. I just wanted to- check on one of my patients.'

Tess nodded as Zoe carried on walking. When she got close to Chlo's bed, she saw that those large eyes were fixed on her. She crouched down.

'Hi sweetheart,' she whispered. 'I thought you might be awake. Do you want to go for a little walk?'

Chlo nodded silently, struggling to sit up.

'Stay there for a moment. I'll get a wheelchair and some blankets. I don't want Nurse Bateman to get angry with me!' Zoe whispered, pulling a mock scared face.

Chlo smiled shyly for the first time since Zoe had found her- it lit up her face, and Zoe saw how beautiful she was.

Zoe was back within five minutes, Tess rolling her eyes as she gently manoeuvred Chlo into the wheelchair, Zoe gently tucking a blanket around her legs and wrapping one around her shoulders. Zoe pushed her out of the ward and along the corridor, into one of the lifts and then up onto the top floor. She stopped at a little alcove where there was a stunning view across the city. She pulled up a chair and sat down next to Chlo, gently placing a hand on hers.

'Tell me,' she said softly.

Chlo's eyes filled with tears.

'I- I can't.'


	4. Opening Up

**Reeeally sorry for the slow update, been quite hectic with January exams... bleurgh. Tried to make this quite a longish chapter to make up for it! Thank you for the lovely reviews, hope you enjoy this part. X**

Chlo and Zoe had sat in silence, looking out over the city, for a long time. Zoe didn't want to leave the girl alone, and Chlo was grateful that Zoe understood and hadn't pressed her to tell her what was happening. For that reason, and that reason alone, Chlo had decided she would come clean the next day. She knew she couldn't carry on in the way she had been going. It was making her so poorly. Zoe had tucked her back into bed tenderly, stroking her cheek and telling her she would be back in a few hours. She had decided not to bother going home, realizing she was due for her shift in four hours. Tess had shown her to a spare room in the nurse's block, concern etched across her soft features, but knowing not to say anything. Zoe had nipped to the vending machine, knowing she would need a cup of tea before she would be able to sleep. Sam had joined her as she pushed coins into the slot.

'So, why is this patient so important that you're still here after three and a half hours?' she said casually, leaning against the other machine.

Zoe sighed. 'Can you leave it please, Sam? She's only young. I've just got a feeling she needs help. I'm trying to get through to her.'

'I just want to make sure you're being professional about it. If we can't help her, maybe we should pass her case on?' Sam said, looking Zoe in the eye.

Zoe looked straight back. She got on well with Sam, and knew she was just trying to make her see the situation from a different perspective. But Zoe's metal glint tended to come out whenever she was challenged.

'It's hardly unprofessional when it's not going to affect my shift, Sam. I'm clinical lead. I know what I'm doing. Don't you remember how it felt to be a teenager? Almost all of them are fragile in some way. And I'm not happy 'passing this case on' until I feel sure that Chlo is on the right path with the right help.' she said, never moving her gaze from Sam's.

Sam put her hands up in defeat. 'Alright, Zo. Whatever you think is best. Just trying to be objective. You know I trust you totally.'

Zoe nodded gratefully, said goodnight and returned to the nurse's block. Within five minutes, she had crashed out.

Her alarm clock blared; it was time for her to get up and start her shift. Hurriedly washing, she praised the fact that she kept a spare set of clothes in her locker. She arrived in the ED, grabbing a coffee from the machine and a banana from the staff room. 'Linda,' she called, spotting her friend passing. 'Linda, have you seen Chlo this morning?'

Linda nodded. 'She seems okay. Quiet, but looks a little better.'

Zoe smiled in thanks, and was soon caught up in her first casualty of the morning, a man who'd fallen from a ladder. It wasn't until her lunch break that she was able to slip up to Chlo's ward.

'How are you feeling?' she asked, crouching next to the bed.

Linda was right; she looked healthier already. Her pale skin was gaining a little colour and her eyes were brighter.

'Better thank you. Dr Hanna- can I talk to you?' the girl began, feeling her hands growing clammy.

Zoe's heart gave a leap. She tried not to let anything show on her face, not wanting anything to get in the way of Chlo opening up.

'Of course,' she said. 'Here? Or somewhere else? My office?'

Chlo nodded slightly at the last option. Zoe summoned Fletch, who she could see was laughing with a pretty female nurse. He was there in seconds, and she quietly asked him for a wheelchair and blankets.

Five minutes later, the pair were in Zoe's office. Chlo looked on the verge of tears and Zoe was desperately trying to make sure she felt relaxed, shutting the blinds and settling the girl on the comfortable sofa.

'I- I don't know where to start...' she said quietly, biting her lip.

'Okay. Well- how about telling me about the night I found you?' Zoe said gently, not wanting the moment to slip away.

Chlo looked down. 'I was exhausted. I was supposed to be going out running, but I suppose my body just gave up. I hadn't eaten much that day.'

Zoe nodded. 'Chlo,' she said. 'Are you trying to get thinner?'

Chlo lifted her eyes to meet the doctor's. 'I'm not anorexic,' she said.

Zoe held her gaze. 'Sweetheart, we can help you- there's all sorts of-'

The girl cut her off. 'No. I mean it. I'm not anorexic,' she said slowly and deliberately. 'That's just it. _I don't want to get thinner.'_

Zoe looked at her, lost. 'What are you trying to tell me?' she said, reaching out for Chlo's hand.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Chlo recoiled, pulling her hand from Zoe's. Zoe, inwardly cursing, leapt up and to the door. Sam was outside.

'_What is it?' _she hissed.

Sam's eyes widened in shock. 'Nothing that can't wait.' she said coolly. 'I'll catch you later.'

Zoe felt a stab of guilt. _Don't worry, _she told herself. _You can make it up to her later. It's Sam. She's your friend, she'll understand. Concentrate on the matter in hand. You're actually getting somewhere._

Tears had collected in Chlo's eyes. Zoe sat down next to her, silently imploring her to carry on. Chlo couldn't bring herself to look at the older woman, instead reaching inside her pocket and pulling out her phone. She tapped a few keys, scrolled for a second and handed it to Zoe.

The doctor's eyes quickly scanned the screen. She felt her heart jolt as she realized what was going on.

_''Ur a waste of space. U take up 2 MUCH space. Ur fat chlo and who's gonna want u if ur fat? Not me. Get in touch.''_

_''U think I'm with u coz ur pretty? Skinny? U should be grateful yav got me to sort u and ur body out. Don't keep me waitin like this.''_

Zoe looked the girl, who was trying to hide the tears making tracks down her face. For the moment she said nothing, instead wrapping Chlo up into a hug, stroking her back and murmuring softly. When she had settled a bit, Zoe let go.

'Is this your boyfriend?' she asked, trying to keep the anger from her voice.

Chlo nodded silently.

'I- I can't get away.'


End file.
